1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments disclosed herein relate to a loading/unloading apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a loading/unloading apparatus of, e.g., crane type, has been used in repairing and maintaining electric appliances such as power-converting power cells stacked within a cubicle (see, e.g., Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. H3-120610).
The loading/unloading apparatus disclosed in the above-cited reference has a configuration in which a detachable rail provided with a hoist is attached to a ceiling portion of a facility.
However, the conventional loading/unloading apparatus cited above is hardly applicable to, e.g., a facility that accommodates power-converting power cells for use in wind power generation. More specifically, in reality, the power-converting power cells for use in wind power generation are relatively heavy and cannot be easily unloaded from the facility. It is also difficult to move the unloaded power cells to a specified place.
The facility is built within a wind power generation tower. However, it is often the case that the effective space existing within the tower is extremely narrow. Thus, a need has existed for a loading/unloading apparatus which is small in size and easy to handle.